Saturday January 10
Joni and I looked forward to the afternoon session with the S-4 students after learning so much about their interest in thinking how cups and other common objects can open us to new possibilities of how we think about them.
We began by asking the students to work in groups of 3 to look at pictures of pottery pieces that were also vessels like the ones we looked at in the morning. They also generated words just like they did in the morning session. We told them, “Unlike the morning cups, we know who make these pottery pieces: Brother Thomas Bezanson. Then in two groups of 15, we watched the film Gifts from the Fire. The film features Brother Thomas telling his story of becoming a monk, becoming a pottery artist, becoming a person who believed “Art transcends the limitations of time and time’s concerns.”
In many ways, watching the film and listening together to Brother Thomas’ story was a powerful experience for the students. When we came back to a full group, students were eager to share responses.
They were all stunned to watch Brother Thomas use a hammer to break some of his pieces that displeased. (“It made my heart sad when he broke his pieces but I learned that you should never be afraid to start over to improve something.”) They all had been listening carefully to his descriptions of the challenges he faced to continue making art. (“I learned you should never let a dream you have die.”) The students shared comments like these: “It touched my heart…understanding that there is a spiritual side to the work he did.” “I learned that I should follow my heart and not be afraid.” If I fail, I can start over.” “Beautiful art is possible.”
Joni and I also shared what we take from the story of Brother Thomas. When Thomas says he believes that his “work is not finished until it is shared” it reminds us of what the Benebikira Order believes about education. Although each of us pursues an education as an individual, the true value of that learning, that knowledge is really only realized when it is shared with others in one’s community. They believe this is how the spiritual side of our being is exercised and influences others. We also think about watching Brother Thomas’ hands as he worked. He helps us see the power that exists in human hands that can fashion something beautiful from the humble clay of the earth. And Thomas’ notion that “Art is not about something the artist knows; it is about something we all know.”
Joni and I ended the session by giving them Brother Thomas’ essay, Reflections on the Cup. We asked them to read the essay in pairs and write a reflection on some aspect of Brother Thomas that will stay with them. We sent them off to dinner looking at a photo that Joni had taken in Sue and Bernie Pucker’s Gallery in Boston. It is a photo of Sister Laetitia, looking at some of Brother Thomas’ pottery pieces in the gallery when she visited Boston in October.
Brother Thomas considered these pieces to be a “gift from the fire.” Displayed in galleries like the Pucker Gallery, they are gifts that all of us can learn from and enjoy.
Linda V Beardsley
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